#183: Hillary Williams and BJJ Travel in Rio

ADCC bronze medalist and jiu-jitsu purple belt Hillary Williams..

Hillary Williams is not a name you would have heard of just a few years ago in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Arkansan grappler only hit the mat for the first time when she was 18, and she is just now turning 21! Although having gained her purple belt in such a short time is noteworthy, what compelled us to bring her on our humble BJJ internet radio show was her stunning performance at the 2009 ADCC, where she came in third place after eliminating Megumi Fuji, a veteran among elite female grapplers, by rear naked choke.

In addition to bringing The Mighty 600,000 Hillary’s story, we will also speak this week with Aaron Sundquist, who by day works as an economist but – like the rest of us – is enthralled with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Sundquist is a blue belt and recently returned from a 6 month trip to Rio de Janeiro. In addition to the exhilaration making new friends in a country quite different than the United States, Sundquist trained lots of jiu-jitsu and even had the opportunity to train with the famous but troubled Terere. We will hear all about his trip and experiences in our show today.

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Aaron Sundquist reflects on his good fortune to train jiu-jitsu in Brazil.